During the last two decades, there have been some sportspeople who are not only known by the fans of the sport they play but also by the followers of other sports as well. Among such stars are Olympic champion Usain Bolt in athletics, Messi and Ronaldo in football, Jamie Dwyer in hockey and Roger Federer in tennis.

Modern-day sports competitions require physical fitness as well as mental toughness. Modern sports demand supreme athleticism, extraordinary skills and inexhaustible energy.

Federer has been ruling the tennis world since 1998 when he turned pro. He has been a revolution, lifting Grand Slam crowns 17 times in his tally of 88 career titles.

He has bagged Wimbledon title as many as seven times. It is the title that is the dream of every tennis player. He stands shoulder to shoulder with such past players as Pete Sampras and William Renshaw.

Besides, he has pulled off US Open five times, Australian Open four times and French Open once.

He is at the top of the quartet that rules the world of tennis today. The other three are Spaniard Rafael Nadal, the Scotland-born Andy Murray and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

All of these players have shown dominance at different times, in different tournaments and on different surfaces.

Federer has had the upper hand in his fights with Murray, thrashing him 14 times in 25 meetings. His most famous victory against Murray was at the Wimbledon final in 2012.

Djokovic has an edge over him, leading 23/22. He defeated him in the final of Wimbledon twice in a row, in 2014 and 2015.

The final of Wimbledon in 2008 between Federer and Nadal has been called one of the greatest matches of all time. Federer has defeated him in the finals of Wimbledon twice.

Many pundits of the game have termed the rivalry between Federer and Nadal the best in the Open Era.

Federer has been on the stage of the Grand Slam a record 307 times. He has other unimaginable achievements in his illustrious career. He remained on the top of the ATP ranking for 302 weeks.

He is a sportsman no less than Messi or Jahangir Khan and was once the planet’s fittest man as his career spanned 17 years without an injury.

He makes 40 to 50 million Euros from endorsements of products of such companies as Rolex, Nike and Lindt.

He captured Laureus World Sportsman of the Year four times, from 2005 to 2008.

He also bagged the ATP Fans’ Favourite award 14 times consecutively, from 2003 to 2016.

When he defeated Canadian Milos Raonic in the final of 2015 Brisbane International Tournament, he recorded his 1,000th career win in the Open Era. He was the third player to reach the milestone. The first two were Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.

He won Gold Medal in men’s doubles event in 2008 Beijing Olympics with compatriot Stan Wawrinka and Silver in 2012 London Olympics when he was defeated by Murray.

Six times he has won the ATP World Tour Finals.

After 2012, it looked like that his era of dominance was about to end as his game was losing the charm and his physical strength seemed to be declining.

He has not won any grand slam title since 2012 Wimbledon and is currently placed at No 16. But, a true champion never finishes like that.

He reached the 2014 and 2015 finals of Wimbledon.

In 2016 he fought against injuries of knee and back. He missed sports biggest extravaganza, the Olympics. However, he has regained his fitness and is ready to make a comeback in the Hopman Cup.

He is a player of all courts who on his day can tear apart any player. He has an astonishing serve speed of 220km/h.

Roger Federer is over the hill as he is 35 now but he will surely be remembered for a long time to come. He is a model of excellence for any budding tennis player.